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Terms that are not defined in this code but are defined in the Florida Building Code, Building; Florida Fire Prevention Code; Florida Building Code, Fuel Gas; Florida Building Code, Mechanical; Florida Building Code, Plumbing or the Florida Building Code, Residential shall have the meanings ascribed to them in those codes.

ACCESSIBLE. Admitting close approach as a result of not being guarded by locked doors, elevation or other effective means (see “Readily accessible”).

ADDITION. An extension or increase in the conditioned space floor area or height of a building or structure.

ADJACENT WALL, CEILING or FLOOR. A wall, ceiling or floor of a structure that separates conditioned space from enclosed but unconditioned space, such as an unconditioned attached garage, storage or utility room.

AIR BARRIER. Relating to air distribution systems, a material object(s) which impedes or restricts the free movement of air under specified conditions. For fibrous glass duct, the air barrier is its foil cladding; for flexible nonmetal duct, the air barrier is the nonporous core; and for sheet metal duct and air handling units, the air barrier is the metal in contact with the air stream. For mechanical closets, the air barrier may be a uniform panelized material such as gypsum wall board which meets ASTM C 36, or it may be a membrane which acts alone as an air barrier which is attached to a panel, such as the foil cladding of fibrous glass duct board.

Relating to the building envelope, air barriers comprise the planes of primary resistance to air flow between the interior spaces of a building and the outdoors and the planes of primary air flow resistance between adjacent air zones of a building, including planes between adjacent conditioned and unconditioned air spaces of a building. To be classed as an air barrier, a building plane must be substantially leak free; that is, it shall have an air leakage rate not greater than 0.5 cfm/ft2 when subjected to an air pressure gradient of 25 pascal. In general, air barriers are made of durable, nonporous materials and are sealed to adjoining wall, ceiling or floor surfaces with a suitable long-life mastic. House wraps and taped and sealed drywall may constitute an air barrier, but dropped acoustical tile ceilings (T-bar ceilings) may not. Batt insulation facings and asphalt-impregnated fiberboard and felt paper are not considered air barriers.

AIR CONDITIONING. The treatment of air so as to control simultaneously the temperature, humidity, cleanness and distribution of the air to meet the requirements of a conditioned space.

AIR DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM. Any system of ducts, plenums and air-handling equipment that circulates air within a space or spaces and includes systems made up of one or more air-handling units.

AIR-HANDLING UNIT. The fan unit of a furnace and the fan-coil unit of a split-system, packaged air conditioner or heat pump.

ALTERATION. Any construction or renovation to an existing structure other than repair or addition that requires a permit. Also, a change in a mechanical system that involves an extension, addition or change to the arrangement, type or purpose of the original installation that requires a permit.

APPROVED. Approval by the code official as a result of investigation and tests conducted by him or her, or by reason of accepted principles or tests by nationally recognized organizations.

ATTIC. An enclosed, unconditioned space located immediately below an uninsulated roof and immediately above the ceiling of a building. For the roof to be considered insulated, roof insulation shall be at least the R-value required to meet Section R405.2.1.

AUTOMATIC. Self-acting, operating by its own mechanism when actuated by some impersonal influence, as, for example, a change in current strength, pressure, temperature or mechanical configuration (see “Manual”).

BUILDING. Any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy. For each purpose of this code each portion of a building separated from other portions by a firewall shall be considered as a separate building. The term “building” shall be construed as if followed by the words “or part thereof.”

BUILDING SITE. A continguous area of land that is under the ownership or control of one entity.

BUILDING THERMAL ENVELOPE. The basement walls, exterior walls, floor, roof, and any other building elements that enclose conditioned space. This boundry also includes the boundary between conditioned space and exempt or unconditioned space. See “Adjacent wall, ceiling or floor.”

C-FACTOR (THERMAL CONDUCTANCE). The coefficient of heat transmission (surface to surface) through a building component or assembly, equal to the time rate of heat flow per unit area and the unit temperature difference between the warm side and cold side surfaces (Btu/h ft2 × °F) [W/(m2 × K)].

CODE OFFICIAL. The officer or other designated authority charged with the administration and enforcement of this code, or a duly authorized representative.

COMMERCIAL BUILDING. For this code, all buildings that are not included in the definition of “Residential buildings.”

CONDITIONED FLOOR AREA. The horizontal projection of that portion of space which is conditioned directly or indirectly by an energy-using system.

CONDITIONED SPACE. An area or room within a building being heated or cooled, containing uninsulated ducts, or with a fixed opening directly into an adjacent conditioned space. See “Space.”

CONTINUOUS AIR BARRIER. A combination of materials and assemblies that restrict or prevent the passage of air through the building thermal envelope.

CRAWL SPACE WALL. The opaque portion of a wall that encloses a crawl space and is partially or totally below grade.

CURTAIN WALL. Fenestration products used to create an external nonload-bearing wall that is designed to separate the exterior and interior environments.

DEMAND RECIRCULATION WATER SYSTEM. A water distribution system where pump(s) prime the service hot water piping with heated water upon demand for hot water.

DRAWBAND. A fastener which surrounds and fastens a duct fitting with either the inner lining or the outer jacket of flexible ducts. Tension ties, clinch bands, draw ties, and straps are considered drawbands.

DUCT. A tube or conduit utilized for conveying air. The air passages of self-contained systems are not to be construed as air ducts.

DUCT SYSTEM. A continuous passageway for the transmission of air that, in addition to ducts, includes duct fittings, dampers, plenums, fans and accessory air-handling equipment and appliances.

DWELLING UNIT. A single unit providing complete independent living facilities for one or more persons, including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation.

EFFICIENCY. Performance at specified rating conditions.

ENERGY. The capacity for doing work. It takes a number of forms that may be transformed from one into another such as thermal (heat), mechanical (work), electrical, and chemical. Customary measurement units are British thermal units (Btu).

ENERGY ANALYSIS. A method for estimating the annual energy use of the proposed design and standard reference design based on estimates of energy use.

ENERGY COST. The total estimated annual cost for purchased energy for the building functions regulated by this code, including applicable demand charges.

ENERGY SIMULATION TOOL. An approved software program or calculation-based methodology that projects the annual energy use of a building.

ENTRANCE DOOR. Fenestration products used for ingress, egress and access in nonresidential buildings, including, but not limited to, exterior entrances that utilize latching hardware and automatic closers and contain over 50-percent glass specifically designed to withstand heavy use and possibly abuse.

FENESTRATION AREA. Total area of the fenestration measured using the rough opening and including the glazing, sash, and frame. For doors where the glazed vision area is less than 50 percent of the door area, the fenestration area is the glazed vision area. For all other doors, the fenestration area is the door area.

FENESTRATION PRODUCT, SITE-BUILT. A fenestration designed to be made up of field-glazed or field-assembled units using specific factory cut or otherwise factory- formed framing and glazing units. Examples of site-built fenestration include storefront systems, curtain walls, and atrium roof systems.

HVAC SYSTEM. The equipment, distribution systems, and terminals that provide, either collectively or individually, the processes of heating, ventilating, or air conditioning to a building or portion of a building.

INDOOR. Within the conditioned building envelope.

INFILTRATION. The uncontrolled inward air leakage through cracks and crevices in any building element and around windows and doors of a building caused by pressure differences across these elements due to factors such as wind, inside and outside temperature differences (stack effect), and imbalance between supply and exhaust air systems.

INSULATING SHEATHING. An insulating board with a core material having a minimum R-value of R-2.

LABELED. Equipment, materials or products to which have been affixed a label, seal, symbol or other identifying mark of a nationally recognized testing laboratory, inspection agency or other organization concerned with product evaluation that maintains periodic inspection of the production of the above-labeled items and whose labeling indicates either that the equipment, material or product meets identified standards or has been tested and found suitable for a specified purpose.

LISTED. Equipment, materials, products or services included in a list published by an organization acceptable to the code official and concerned with evaluation of products or services that maintains periodic inspection of production of listed equipment or materials or periodic evaluation of services and whose listing states either that the equipment, material, product or service meets identified standards or has been tested and found suitable for a specified purpose.

LOW-VOLTAGE LIGHTING. Lighting equipment powered through a transformer such as a cable conductor, a rail conductor and track lighting.

MANUAL. Capable of being operated by personal intervention (see “Automatic”).

MANUFACTURER. The company engaged in the original production and assembly of products or equipment or a company that purchases such products and equipment manufactured in accordance with company specifications.

MECHANICAL CLOSET. For the purposes of this code, a closet used as an air plenum which contains the blower unit or air handler of a central air-conditioning or heating unit.

OUTDOOR. The environment exterior to the building structure.

OUTDOOR (OUTSIDE) AIR. Air that is outside the building envelope or is taken from outside the building that has not been previously circulated through the building.

OUTSIDE. The environment exterior to the conditioned space of the building and may include attics, garages, crawlspaces, etc., but not return air plenums.

PLENUM. A compartment or chamber to which one or more ducts are connected, that forms a part of the air distribution system, and that is not used for occupancy or storage. A plenum often is formed in part or in total by portions of the building.

POSITIVE INDOOR PRESSURE. A positive pressure condition within a conditioned space caused by bringing in more outside air than the amount of air that is exhausted and/or lost through air leakage.

PROPOSED DESIGN. A description or computer representation of the proposed building used to estimate annual energy use for determining compliance based on total building performance or design energy cost.

READILY ACCESSIBLE. Capable of being reached quickly for operation, renewal or inspection without requiring those to whom ready access is requisite to climb over or remove obstacles or to resort to portable ladders or access equipment (see “Accessible”).

RENOVATED BUILDING. A residential or nonresidential building undergoing alteration that varies or changes insulation, HVAC systems, water heating systems, or exterior envelope conditions, provided the estimated cost of renovation exceeds 30 percent of the assessed value of the structure.

REPAIR. The reconstruction or renewal of any part of an existing building.

REPLACEMENT. The installation of part or all of an existing mechanical or electrical system in an existing building.

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING. For this code, includes detached one- and two-family dwellings and multiple single-family dwellings (townhouses) as well as Group R-2, R-3 and R-4 buildings three stories or less in height above grade plane.

ROOF ASSEMBLY. A system designed to provide weather protection and resistance to design loads. The system consists of a roof covering and roof deck or a single component serving as both the roof covering and the roof deck. A roof assembly includes the roof covering, underlayment, roof deck, insulation, vapor retarder and interior finish.

R-VALUE (THERMAL RESISTANCE). The inverse of the time rate of heat flow through a body from one of its bounding surfaces to the other surface for a unit temperature difference between the two surfaces, under steady state conditions, per unit area (h • ft2 •°F/Btu) [(m2 • K)/W].

SEAL or SEALING – AIR DUCT. The use of closure products, either welds, mastic, mastic plus embedded fabric, adhesives, caulking, gaskets, pressure sensitive tapes, heat-activated tapes or combinations thereof as allowed by specific sections of this code, to close cracks, joints, seams, and other openings in the air barriers of air duct, air handling units, and plenum chambers for the purpose of preventing air leakage. No joining of opening from which a closure product is absent shall be considered sealed unless considered otherwise in specific cases identified by this code. Closeness of fit between mated parts alone shall not be considered a seal.

SERVICE WATER HEATING. Supply of hot water for purposes other than comfort heating.

SKYLIGHT. Glass or other transparent or translucent glazing material installed at a slope of less than 60 degrees (1.05 rad) from horizontal. Glazing material in skylights, including unit skylights, solariums, sunrooms, roofs and sloped walls is included in this definition.

SOLAR HEAT GAIN COEFFICIENT (SHGC). The ratio of the solar heat gain entering the space through the fenestration assembly to the incident solar radiation. Solar heat gain includes directly transmitted solar heat and absorbed solar radiation which is then reradiated, conducted or convected into the space. (See “Fenestration area.”)

SOLAR HEAT GAIN COEFFICIENT (SHGC). The ratio of the solar heat gain entering the space through the fenestration assembly to the incident solar radiation. Solar heat gain includes directly transmitted solar heat and absorbed solar radiation which is then reradiated, conducted or convected into the space.

SPACE. An enclosed space within a building. The classifications of spaces are as follows for the purpose of determining building envelope requirements.

a. Cooled space: an enclosed space within a building that is cooled by a cooling system whose sensible output capacity exceeds 5 Btu/h•ft2 of floor area.

b. Heated space: an enclosed space within a building that is heated by a heating system whose output capacity relative to the floor area is greater than or equal to 5 Btu/h•ft2.

c. Indirectly conditioned space: an enclosed space within a building that is not a heated space or a cooled space, which is heated or cooled indirectly by being connected to adjacent space(s) provided (a) the product of the U-factor(s) and surface area(s) of the space adjacent to connected space(s) exceeds the combined sum of the product of the U-factor(s) and surface area(s) of the space adjoining the outdoors, unconditioned spaces, and to or from semiheated spaces (e.g., corridors) or (b) that air from heated or cooled spaces is intentionally transferred (naturally or mechanically) into the space at a rate exceeding 3 air changes per hour (ach) (e.g., atria).

d. Unvented attic assembly: as defined in Section R806.5 of the Florida Building Code, Residential. These spaces shall not require supply or return outlets.

2. Semiheated space: an enclosed space within a building that is heated by a heating system whose output capacity is greater than or equal to 3.4 Btu/h•ft2 of floor area but is not a conditioned space.

3. Unconditioned space: an enclosed space within a building that is not a conditioned space or a semiheated space. Crawl spaces, attics, and parking garages with natural or mechanical ventilation are not considered enclosed spaces.

STANDARD REFERENCE DESIGN. A version of the proposed design that meets the minimum requirements of this code and is used to determine the maximum annual energy use requirement for compliance based on total building performance.

STRUCTURE. That which is built or constructed.

SUNROOM. For the purposes of this code, the term “sunroom” as used herein shall be as follows and shall include conservatories, sunspaces, solariums, and porch or patio covers or enclosures.

1. A room with roof panels that includes sloped glazing that is a one-story structure added to an existing dwelling with an open or glazed area in excess of 40 percent of the gross area of the sunroom structure’s exterior walls and roof.

2. A one-story structure added to a dwelling with structural roof panels without sloped glazing. The sunroom walls may have any configuration, provided the open area of the longer wall and one additional wall is equal to at least 65 percent of the area below 6 feet 8 inches of each wall, measured from the floor.

SYSTEM. A combination of equipment and auxiliary devices (e.g., controls, accessories, interconnecting means, and terminal elements) by which energy is transformed so it performs a specific function such as HVAC, service water heating, or lighting.

THERMAL ENVELOPE. The primary insulation layer of a building; that part of the envelope that provides the greatest resistance to heat flow to or from the building.

THERMAL ISOLATION. Physical and space conditioning separation from conditioned space(s). The conditioned space(s) shall be controlled as separate zones for heating and cooling or conditioned by separate equipment.

THERMOSTAT. An automatic control device used to maintain temperature at a fixed or adjustable set point.

U-FACTOR (THERMAL TRANSMITTANCE). The coefficient of heat transmission (air to air) through a building component or assembly, equal to the time rate of heat flow per unit area and unit temperature difference between the warm side and cold side air films (Btu/h • ft2 • °F) [W/(m2 • K)].

UNCONDITIONED SPACE. See “SPACE.”

VENTILATION. The natural or mechanical process of supplying conditioned or unconditioned air to, or removing such air from, any space.

VENTILATION AIR. That portion of supply air that comes from outside (outdoors) plus any recirculated air that has been treated to maintain the desired quality of air within a designated space.

VISIBLE TRANSMITTANCE [VT]. The ratio of visible light entering the space through the fenestration product assembly to the incident visible light, Visible Transmittance, includes the effects of glazing material and frame and is expressed as a number between 0 and 1.

WALL. That portion of the building envelope, including opaque area and fenestration, that is vertical or tilted at an angle of 60 degrees from horizontal or greater. This includes above and below-grade walls, between floor spandrels, peripheral edges of floors, and foundation walls. For the purposes of determining building envelope requirements, the classifications are defined as follows:

1. Above-grade wall: a wall that is not a below-grade wall.

2. Below-grade wall: that portion of a wall in the building envelope that is entirely below the finish grade and in contact with the ground.

3. Mass wall: a wall with a heat capacity exceeding (1) 7 Btu/ft2 •°F or (2) 5 Btu/ft2•°F provided that the wall has a material unit weight not greater than 120 lb/ft3.

4. Metal building wall: a wall whose structure consists of metal spanning members supported by steel structural members (i.e., does not include spandrel glass or metal panels in curtain wall systems).

6. Wood-framed and other walls: all other wall types, including wood stud walls.

WHOLE HOUSE MECHANICAL VENTILATION SYSTEM. An exhaust system, supply system, or combination thereof that is designed to mechanically exchange indoor air with outdoor air when operating continuously or through a programmed intermittent schedule to satisfy the whole house ventilation rates.

ZONE. A space or group of spaces within a building with heating or cooling requirements that are sufficiently similar so that desired conditions can be maintained throughout using a single controlling device.